Do spacers improve handling

thexav

Pro Tuner
Staff member
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407
Car
2002 Clio 172
What are your thoughts on 25-30mm wheel spacers? Do they actually improve a cars handling or are they just a mod that improves the look of a car?

Surely the unsprung weight would be a major downside to any grip gained from the wider track.

Does this affect the suspension settings? Would you need to adjust camber and toe?
 
Have no experience with themas they are illegal over here .
I wonder if people get them as a cheaper way to push the wheels closer to the guards instead of buying wheels with a different offset
The more tech savvy will be able to confirm if the spacers will impose additional loads on the suspension.
 
I must admit to not liking these large offset spacers, but in some cases you don't have alot of choice. Personally I would try to get the right wheel offset or modify the area to gain the clearance required be it arch clearance or drastic machining of the axle/hub area. Small spacers I have used to gain wheel to suspension/brake clearance but never used one that required a bolt on section. To me you are moving the loads to an area that is weaker than it was designed for. I had to modify the MGs clearance in order to fit the Brembo set-up as didn't want to use the spacers supplied or have to fit the longer wheel studs.
 
Spacers are really just a way of fitting wheels with the wrong offset.

If done properly they are safe and ok for normal road use but the right wheel is better every time.
 
Absolutley correct. They leave it to the 17-25 year old experts to sort it all out.
Or the specialists at the local Halfitquickchav shop to supply plastic kits and bits of performance metal to bolt on.
 
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I know this is an old thread, but one consideration for spacers is to get wider wheels and tires than stock to fit under the fender wells. Just don't forget to put longer wheel studs on the hubs when doing this mod! I'd generally recommend against spacers, though. Like Sleeper said, get the right wheels with the right offset in the first place. (Though getting a used set of wheels for cheap puts you in temptation's way vis a vis spacers.)
My problem on my old Corvette was just the opposite- my wheels stuck out beyond the fenders. I could have gotten fender flares, but the ones blessed by Chevrolet were super expensive, so I put up with the rock chips eating away at my paint. Sorry for the sideways image! That hasn't happened before.IMG_2667.JPG
 
Absolutley correct. They leave it to the 17-25 year old experts to sort it all out.

Spacers unless factory fitted ( Porsche is one that I know of ) are deemed illegal and make the car "unroadyworthy" in Australia and when I try to warn others on a another site of this and that they may also give an insurer reason to deny a claim in the event of a crash I have been met with replies like " F the police "

That said I have seen and spoken to a number of track day car owners with them fitted and have been told things like "had them on for years with no problems "

From an engineering standpoint fitting spacers and or wheels with a larger ET / offset than factory will increase the load on the wheel bearings due to the longer lever effect.
 
I heartily agree with the sentiment that spacers will increase loads ( and wear) on wheel bearings. Plan on replacing wheel bearings much more frequently if you use spacers! And plan on checking regularly for wear on the wheel bearings so you know when they need replacing!
 
I am running spacers on another car since it has aftermarket hd wheels that have a different offset. No issues whatsoever. I don't track this car.
 

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